Burkeville is an unincorporated town

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in northern Newton County

Newton County, Texas

Newton County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. In of 2000, its population was 15,072. Its county seat is Newton. Newton county is named for John Newton, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It sits at the intersection of State Highways 63 and 87 10 miles west of the Sabine River

Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)

The Sabine River is a river, long, in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. In its lower course, it forms part of the boundary between the two states and empties into Sabine Lake, an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico. The river formed part of the United States-Mexican international boundary during...

. The Burkeville Independent School District

Burkeville Independent School District

Burkeville Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Burkeville, Texas .The district has three campuses - Burkeville High School , Burkeville Middle School and Burkeville Elementary School .In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by...

 serves the resident students.

Historical development

The town was named for John R. Burke, a well educated and wealthy man from New York who took up residence there. He donated the land tract that would be used for the county courthouse. The plots for the town were laid out in 1844, and within three years the residents there petitioned to become the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

. Over several years, the county seat would switch between Burkeville and Newton

Newton, Texas

Newton is a city in Newton County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,459 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Newton County.-History:...

 until the state legislature ordered that Newton should remain the permanent county seat in 1856. The town also served as an arsenal of the Confederacy during the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. Agriculture and trade would keep the economy prospering until the lumber

Lumber

Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....

 industry would add to the local market. In 1906, a catastrophic fire consumed all of the town's businesses excluding one.

Recreation

The nearby Toledo Bend Reservoir

Toledo Bend Reservoir

Toledo Bend Reservoir is a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The lake has an area of 185,000 acres , the largest man-made body of water in Texas, the largest in the South, and the fifth largest in the United States. The dam is capable of generating 92 megawatts of...

is used for recreation by the locals as well as tourists and freshwater fishing enthusiasts.

Burkeville has a long standing tradition of football excellence in a state where football is king. The Burkeville Mustangs won state in football in 1986 and 2001 in class 1A.

External links

• Sam Forse Collins Recreation Area - Sabine River Authority of Texas